Monday, April 19, 2010

A walk in the 'hood

I made the walk to the dental office this evening. It is a distance of only 6 or 7 blocks. But it is a walk I really enjoy. It exemplifies the reason I bought my house some 15 years ago. I really love the neighborhood. Most of the houses that comprise the Bay View area have character. Big old houses built right next to each other with very little distance between homes. Most of the houses are at least two stories with all kinds of different designs.

When you walk down the street you can tell which buildings have been around for a while and which are much newer. Some of the houses were built in the 1910-30 range. Others easily were built in the 60s with a couple in the 70s. And every once in a while you come across a brand new home. I don't like those as they stick out like sore thumbs.

As I said, these houses have character. Most have been maintained exceptionally well. Sure they have had new roofs and windows but they have kept the look. As you walk along the street you notice the different designs. That is when other things really jump out. Like when you see a what looks to be an open lot that should have a house. Any yard between homes is extremely rare down here. I always wonder if a house had been there as some point in time. Did someone buy the lot to prevent a home being there? Was there a fire? There has to be a reason for the empty space.

As I got closer to the dentist office, I couldn't help but notice the dumpster in the road in front of a certain house. I recall walking by there in the fall. There was a bunch of junk in the driveway. It looked like they were remodeling. Now 6 months later it looks like the project continues.

I noticed 2 other houses that were in different states of repair. One had some siding being put on. It was unique because it looked like a log cabin. I checked it out as I went by and then noticed that they side of the house was wide open by the roof. With a ladder you could climb right into the building. That house will look really nice when they finish. Much better than the other home that had a broken window. In fact it had some missing windows as well. I peered in to see that it was empty. I will have to check it out in a couple of week to see what kind of progress is being made.

Maybe I will try to take some pictures next time. It looks like my date with wisdom teeth removal may be coming sooner than later.